"Huh? What kind of deep-seated hatred could this be? Does she like our Zhouzhou, and is this because she can't have her?" Tang Xiaole's thoughts wandered. "Otherwise, why would she keep pestering her like this?"
Cheng Minxin shrugged and said, "You're asking me? Who am I supposed to ask? Oh, right, remember to find Zhou Paihuai's contract, as well as her recent film contracts and endorsements. Later, compile a list of the consequences she will face if she retires from the entertainment industry and send it to her." She needs to know the consequences in advance so that Zhou Paihuai doesn't catch everyone off guard three days later.
"I'll go right away!"
... ...
Ji Anxi was completely focused, her fingers flying across the keyboard. Soon, another thousand-word essay about her struggles during the "dark" week was completed. The last period was the perfect finishing touch. After finishing, she clicked the mouse and sent it with one click.
After it was over, Ji Anxi, in a great mood, leaned back in her chair and let out a long sigh of relief. She felt really comfortable!
"Anxi, you've been here for so long today, are your eyes hurting?" Aunt Wen brought in a glass of freshly squeezed juice and placed it on her table. "Why don't you rest for a while, and Aunt Wen will accompany you for a walk?"
Ji Anxi hugged Aunt Wen's hand and began to whine, "Aunt Wen, no need, I'm not tired at all now. I'm contributing to the entertainment industry of our country."
"Okay, I can't do anything with you. Well then, remember to drink your juice."
Don't worry!
After seeing Aunt Wen off, Ji Anxi rubbed her eyes and then focused all her attention on the computer. This time, Zhou Paihuai's PR efforts failed; her blog post hadn't lost its momentum after all this time. Could she have been right?
While scrolling through the comments, Ji Anxi saw a private message: "Let's talk about Zhou Paihuai's matter?"
Chuangshi really values Zhou Paihuai, this third-rate actor, and has tried to negotiate with her, a hater, time and time again, as if she could clear her name without her. Ji Anxi smiled and was about to block him, but at the very moment she was about to, she suddenly changed her mind and replied: Okay, what do you want to talk about?
Chapter 4 Compromise
Zhou Paihuai did not sleep well. His dreams were chaotic and incoherent. He was also very clear that he was dreaming. He wanted to open his eyes but could not, as if he was being paralyzed by a ghost.
After struggling for an unknown amount of time, Zhou Paihuai finally broke free from the nightmare. She got out of bed, poured herself a glass of water, and drank it before confirming that she had emerged from the dream. She had never felt so uncomfortable while sleeping before. Could it be an adverse reaction to taking over the original owner's body?
To be honest, Zhou Paihuai didn't know how she had become the original owner of this body. If it was just because of a shared name, that was too much of a coincidence. Also, she had entered the original owner's body, so where was the original owner? Had they swapped bodies, or... or had the original owner completely left this world?
"Zhou Paihuai, is that you?" Zhou Paihuai asked the air, but of course received no response.
Suddenly, Zhou Paihuai raised her hand and wiped away her tears. She wasn't crying; these weren't tears. Could it be that the original owner of this body was still inside, responding to her? Another person residing in her body—it sounded like the prelude to a horror movie. However, before Zhou Paihuai could even feel afraid, she realized that compared to the original owner, she seemed to be the outsider. There was no need for her to be afraid. But if the original owner was still there, why was she here? Was it because she had died suddenly, and her soul had nowhere to go, so it had entered someone else's body?
"I've really gone too far!" Zhou Paihuai muttered to herself, while hoping that the original owner would quickly take back control of the body. Whether she, as a wandering ghost, could return to her body or simply vanish into nothingness was unimportant. What mattered was that she wouldn't have to deal with this mess and wouldn't be forced into becoming an actress.
Just as Zhou Paihuai had this thought, she suddenly felt a sharp pain in her heart, as if someone had reached out and ripped it out. Immediately afterward, a powerful obsession entered her mind. Although it sounded fantastical, in that instant, Zhou Paihuai knew perfectly well that the original owner of this body had left. She had only left behind an obsession—an obsession to stay in the entertainment industry and to have many fans.
"..." Zhou Paihuai was speechless for a moment. She hadn't expected the original owner to disappear like this, leaving behind such a "last wish" for her. Logically speaking, since she had taken over the original owner's body, she should really help her fulfill her wish. However, firstly, Zhou Paihuai really disliked entering the entertainment industry, and secondly, she had looked up online why the original owner was being criticized by the entire internet. It was simply because her acting skills as an actress were really not up to par. If even a professional like the original owner was like this, if she were to actually go on the show, she estimated that the few remaining fans would turn into haters.
Just as Zhou was struggling with this problem, her phone suddenly rang. She opened it and saw it was a message from Tang Xiaole. She didn't really want to read it, feeling it wouldn't be good news, but after a few minutes, she finally read it. As expected, it wasn't good news. Tang Xiaole had sent over the contract the original owner had signed, along with a preliminary estimate of the breach of contract penalty: a plain-looking number 7 followed by a string of zeros. Zhou felt dizzy and wanted to die.
Seven million is a lot. I wonder if Agent Cheng would be willing to give her a 0.1% discount. Maybe she could scrape together that amount. Otherwise, even if she were to be sold off in pieces, she still wouldn't be able to afford the breach of contract penalty. As the saying goes, when you're heavily in debt, you don't panic. Zhou Paihuai is in that state right now. After reading the message, she slammed her head back against the headboard without even feeling the pain. Instead, she slowly closed her eyes. Thinking is too difficult; it's better to have a good dream.
... ...
After Tang Xiaole sent a message to Zhou Huaihuai, she sat face to face with Cheng Minxin and waited silently for her reply.
Although Cheng Minxin gave Zhou three days to reconsider, she wouldn't actually give her that much time. If they didn't respond soon enough, even a lie could become the truth, especially since this matter was actually real.
One hour, two hours... Zhou Paihuai remained silent. Tang Xiaole watched as Cheng Minxin's composure turned to ashen. Finally, Tang Xiaole couldn't hold back any longer and suggested, "Why don't we go check? What if Zhou Zhou hasn't seen the message?" Even she herself sounded unconvinced; Zhou Zhou was always on her phone, so not seeing a message for so long seemed absurd.
Cheng Minxin stood up and said, "Alright, let's go see what Zhou Paihuai is busy with."
When the two drove to Zhou Paihuai's apartment, she was still asleep. They couldn't wake her even after opening the door and turning on the lights. Upon entering, looking at Zhou Paihuai's peaceful sleeping face, Cheng Minxin and Tang Xiaole exchanged speechless glances: No wonder they hadn't heard from her; she was actually asleep, and sleeping so soundly?
Tang Xiaole raised an eyebrow and asked, "Sister Cheng, should I go wake Zhouzhou up?"
Just as the two were discussing how to wake Zhou Paihuai, she woke up. Perhaps because she had slept for a long time, Zhou Paihuai's mind was still in a daze, and she had completely forgotten about her time travel. So she was shocked that two strangers had broken into her home, and she clutched a pillow tightly in a defensive posture.
Fortunately, before Zhou could utter the words "call the police," she remembered her current situation, which startled her so much that she broke out in a cold sweat. She swallowed non-existent saliva and said, "Sister Cheng, Xiaole, what are you two doing here?"
"We sent you a message but you didn't reply for a long time. We were worried something had happened to you," Cheng Minxin said casually, but she was actually testing whether she had seen the message.
Zhou Paihuai didn't understand her intricacies. She had indeed seen the message, but hadn't replied because she didn't want to face it yet: "Didn't you say you'd give me three days? Is Sister Cheng having second thoughts?"
"..." Cheng Minxin's words were choked back. She had always prided herself on her ability to recognize and utilize talent. For so long, Zhou Paihuai had been under her control. But in just one day, she felt that Zhou Paihuai had become a completely different person, someone she could no longer control.
Tang Xiaole couldn't help but speak up for her: "Zhouzhou, you've misunderstood Sister Cheng. She didn't mean to pressure you; it's just that Director Xie isn't easy to talk to right now, and the online public opinion isn't favorable towards you..."
So now the company needs to see Zhou Paihuai's decision to decide whether to continue investing resources in her... Zhou Paihuai understands the logic very well. After all, capitalists are most concerned with profits. But since they value profits, why bother playing the emotional card? She smiled and said, "I saw the message you sent me. The penalty for breach of contract is at least seven million. I couldn't afford to pay that even if I sold myself, so I have no choice... But Sister Cheng, since things have come to this, I will definitely not follow the public relations path the company has chosen for me. All lies have loopholes. My walkout is a fact. Hiding it is meaningless and will not improve my reputation in the industry. It's better to admit it openly."
"You want to admit it?" Cheng Minxin was shocked. This path was indeed completely contrary to the path she had chosen. After all, although Zhou Paihuai's acting skills were not good, she was definitely dedicated. If she admitted to quitting, it would be equivalent to completely overturning the image she had previously established. "Impossible. This does not match your previous image. The company will not agree to it."
"My previous persona? Dedicated but unprofessional, it doesn't seem to have gained me many fans, right? On the contrary, now, a baseless rumor about me walking off the set has kept me on the trending topics for so long. I guess the company values this, which is why they are unwilling to give up on me, right?" If this incident hadn't made Zhou Paihuai trend on the trending topics several times and shown the company that she still had the potential to become a big star, the company would never have tolerated her like this, nor would they have given her time to think. What awaited her would only be a court summons.
As a professional agent, Cheng Minxin was well aware of this, but Zhou Paihuai was someone she had watched grow step by step. Hiding the truth wasn't the best decision, but it was definitely the safest. However, the path she was choosing was one where a single misstep could lead to utter ruin. "Are you really sure? As you said, if handled properly, it might revive your career, but if it fails..."
"I know, but I don't want to keep lying."
Chapter 5 You Must Believe in Your Own Charm
A day later, Zhou Paihuai received a message from Tang Xiaole on WeChat containing the passwords to all her social media accounts. She smiled and realized that she had successfully worked with Cheng Minxin, the top agent at "Genesis," and could now do what she needed to do.
Soon after, Zhou Paihuai logged onto Weibo and posted a long post, directly admitting that he had walked off the set, apologizing to Director Xie and the crew, and announcing his withdrawal from the "Su Hai Yuan" production team. He also stated that "Chuangshi" company would compensate the "Su Hai Yuan" production team for the losses incurred during this period.
This Weibo post immediately ignited a huge uproar among fans, haters, and casual observers. It was the first time in years that an actor had publicly admitted to boycotting a performance. It's worth noting that if someone else had posted this, they might have actually gained some fans, as the apology clearly explained the situation without shirking responsibility; anyone who read it would praise their accountability. But it was Zhou Paihuai, arguably the celebrity with the worst public image in the entertainment industry. She lacked sufficient fans but had a large number of haters. The comments section was flooded with negativity, and even those who wanted to learn more about her were overwhelmed by the negative comments and couldn't muster any sympathy for her.
Cheng Minxin could only smile bitterly at all. Although she had expected it, she never thought things would develop in the worst possible way. "See? This is what you call being honest. The public can't see your fine qualities; all they can see is the fact that you refused to perform."
Zhou Paihuai didn't think it was bad news. Without expectations, there wouldn't be too much criticism. After all, after this incident, she still had to stay in the entertainment industry for the sake of the original owner's last wish and the company's breach of contract penalty. However, her acting skills were even worse than the original owner's. Rather than having people keep harping on her acting skills, it was better to lower the public's expectations of her to the minimum. After all, it was only natural that someone who could quit acting and was very honest would have bad acting skills.
"Sister Cheng, I remember you have a new artist under your management who has a pretty good public image, but she has always lacked opportunities to become famous. Since you have such a good relationship with Director Xie, why not recommend her to the 'Su Hai Yuan' production team?" Zhou Paihuai didn't dare to say what he really thought, so he changed the subject. "Although this matter was a bit unexpected, we need to make good use of resources."
"You're willing?" Cheng Minxin asked, puzzled. Had Zhou Paihuai become so indifferent to fame and fortune that he was willing to let a newcomer step on him to rise to the top?
Zhou lowered her eyelids, making it impossible to tell whether she was happy or unhappy, and said softly, "I acted impulsively and made things turn out like this. I should do something to clean up the mess for the company, otherwise how can I continue to work under Sister Cheng?"
"You're smart to know what's good for you!" Cheng Minxin smiled. The newcomer under her was named Lin Nian. Originally, she wasn't qualified to join the "Su Hai Yuan" crew, but now that things had escalated, the crew had gained so much attention right after filming started, and she was even on the side of the victim. Plus, with the added bonus of Lin Nian being Zhou Paihuai's junior sister, Director Xie probably wouldn't refuse her. "Since you're so considerate of me, I certainly won't treat you unfairly. You should rest for a while, and once this matter has calmed down, I'll find you a better script."
Zhou Paihuai's eyes lit up. She really hadn't expected to encounter such good fortune. Just a few casual words had bought her some breathing room; she had thought her agent would find a film crew and shove her into it in no time. Her joy was naturally quite obvious, and Cheng Minxin noticed it immediately. Realizing Cheng Minxin was staring at her, she forced herself to stop smiling and said expressionlessly, "Thank you, Sister Cheng."
Cheng Minxin gave her a cold look, knowing exactly what she was thinking, and then added, "This vacation is for you, but don't think you're free to do nothing. Otherwise, when you have the chance to come back, there will definitely be no place for you in this industry." Zhou Paihuai's current popularity is like lava during a volcanic eruption; it will eventually fade away.
Zhou Paihuai understood all these principles, but since this short holiday was now hers, those vague verbal tasks without any acceptance criteria didn't matter. So she nodded and agreed: "Sister Cheng, don't worry, I will definitely take good care of myself."
Just as Cheng Minxin was about to say something more, the room door was suddenly pushed open, and Tang Xiaole walked in, holding up her phone and saying, "Sister Cheng, I just found out that the hater replied to my message."
These past few days, neither Cheng Minxin nor Tang Xiaole have been as free as Zhou Paihuai, so Ji Anxi's response went unnoticed until Tang Xiaole logged into her alternate account today.
"When?" Cheng Minxin didn't show it on her face, but she was still very shocked. After all, before Tang Xiaole, she had contacted that hater in many ways, but had not received a response.
"I was quite busy a few days ago and didn't notice it."
The two of them talked back and forth, leaving Zhou Paihuai completely bewildered. She had always thought that the agency was only responsible for finding online trolls to muddy the waters, but she hadn't expected them to also contact anti-fans. Their business scope was too broad! But could that anti-fan be the one who wanted the original owner of this body to get out of the entertainment industry? Judging from the various blog posts that person had made these past few days, that person was extremely determined to smear the original owner of this body. It seemed that no amount of coercion or inducement could change their mind. She wondered what the point of contacting that person would be.
"Are you contacting my haters?" Zhou Paihuai still asked, not realizing that the person she was contacting was not the same person she was thinking of.
“Yes, it’s the one who’s been smearing you the most over the past three years.” Cheng Minxin said, then suddenly had an idea. “Looks like this is what they call fate. I was thinking you were free recently, but now things have come to this.”
"Wh... what does that mean?" Zhou Huaihuai suddenly had a bad feeling.
The next moment, Cheng Minxin gave her a task: "It's a good thing that she wants to communicate now. You need to find a way to change her opinion of you and make her stop criticizing you so much. There's a reason why you have so few fans over the years. It's mainly because the anti-fans are too powerful, making it impossible for casual fans to even follow you."
Zhou Paihuai's eyes widened in surprise. She hadn't expected Cheng Minxin to present her with such a monumental challenge. In her mind, a person's mind couldn't be changed by external forces, especially since she was the most hated person by the anti-fans. "Sister Cheng, this isn't quite..."
"I believe you!" But before she could even utter a word of refusal, Cheng Minxin patted her shoulder and stared at her, not giving her a chance to refuse.
Under Cheng Minxin's intense gaze, Zhou Paihuai had no choice but to compromise: "Alright then, but Sister Cheng, I'm just trying, I might not be able to do it!"
"You must believe in your own charm!"
Chapter 6: The First "Pleasant" Chat with a Hater
My first "pleasant" chat with a hater
Ji Anxi has been particularly unhappy these past few days. A few days ago, Zhou Paihuai privately contacted her, hoping to get more dirt on her and give her a response. Unexpectedly, no one has paid any attention to her since.
But that wasn't enough to make Ji Anxi really angry. The key issue was that not long after, Zhou Paihuai admitted on Weibo that she had refused to perform. What was that all about? If she was going to admit it, she should have done it sooner. Why did she have to make fun of herself like that? The more Ji Anxi thought about it, the angrier she got, and she even lost her appetite for the past few days.
"What's wrong with Anxi?" Ji Anbo rarely comes home, and he sees his younger sister looking bitter and resentful.
"It's not—" Ji Anxi wanted to complain, but felt it was embarrassing to get angry about something like this. "Never mind, it's nothing. Second brother, why did you come back so early today?"
Ji Anxi is the youngest child in her family, with two older brothers and an older sister. Ji Anbo is the second oldest, and he is her second brother.
Seeing that Ji Anxi changed the subject somewhat awkwardly, Ji Anbo didn't press her for details. He simply said, "I didn't have much to do today, so I came back early."
Ji Anxi wanted to say something to Ji Anbo, but then she heard a message notification. She quickly pushed her second brother out, saying, "Second brother, Aunt Wen has prepared your dinner. Go down and eat, I'm still busy here!"
"Hey, hey, hey, can't even my second brother say a word to you? Anxi, you're so cold-hearted!" As Ji Anbo said this, Ji Anxi pushed him to the door and closed it.
"..." Ji Anbo was rebuffed and went downstairs feeling quite bored. He wanted to ask Aunt Wen what his younger sister had been up to lately, but he was afraid that Aunt Wen would let something slip, so he didn't ask too many questions.
After seeing her second brother off, Ji Anxi eagerly sat down at her computer. She had assumed the messages were from like-minded "anti-fans," but instead, they were from Zhou Paihuai's side, who hadn't contacted her for days. How ridiculous! They probably contacted her in the first place to get her to delete her posts, right? Now that Zhou Paihuai himself had admitted on Weibo to his boycott, her posts were practically meaningless. Why would they contact her again?
Ji Anxi muttered to herself, but her hands were already moving impatiently as she opened her private message, only to find a smiley face emoji. She was puzzled; what did a smiley face mean? Was it a joke at her expense?
Just as I was about to angrily retort, the next message came through: Let's get to know each other, I'm Zhou Paihuai, I'd like to chat with you about #cuteness#!
Ji Anxi was filled with questions. She could understand if this number had contacted her before, since the company always had to do public relations for its artists. But now she actually received a private message from someone claiming to be Zhou Paihuai himself. After being a hater for so many years, this was the first time she had ever seen the person in question personally come down to negotiate with the haters. Was this a joke? And she even acted cute and sent these kinds of emojis?
Just as Ji Anxi hesitated, unsure of what to reply, Zhou Paihuai also began to get anxious. After Cheng Minxin assigned her the task of turning the haters into fans, she also gave her the records of their previous communications with the haters. From the moment the haters started attacking the original owner, Sister Cheng and her PR team had been working hard. The reason was simple: these haters were too dedicated, making it impossible for them to carry out many of their tasks. However, no matter how hard they tried, they still received no response.
However, Zhou Paihuai analyzed the patterns of their communication with the haters and discovered that they only contacted them after the original owner of the body had exposed some scandalous information. They wouldn't say anything else, just offer money to have the haters delete the posts or cooperate in whitewashing her image. What kind of behavior was this? It was clearly using petty gains to make people slap themselves in the face. A gentleman doesn't accept charity; anyone who wasn't desperate for money wouldn't agree. Therefore, after careful consideration, Zhou Paihuai decided to use the most sincere method to win over the haters: directly admitting her identity. Of course, this decision was made alone; she didn't tell Cheng Minxin and Tang Xiaole about these details.
According to Zhou Paihuai's thinking, even the most ardent hater would be moved by this. Not that they would be immediately moved to the point of turning from fans to haters, but they would still reply to her private messages. However, things have obviously gone beyond her expectations—this hater is far too aloof.
Zhou Paihuai looked at the sentence she had posted several times, wondering if her tone was too different from the original owner's, causing the haters to suspect that it wasn't her. Should she say something again, something a little closer to the original owner's style, to try and win them back?
While Zhou was still struggling with his decision, a message came from a hater: We have nothing to talk about.
Although his tone was quite cold, Zhou Huaihuai was quite satisfied with the response. He started typing again: "It's not like we don't have anything to talk about. Poetry, songs, philosophy of life, whatever you want to talk about, I can talk to you about it! The most important thing is that you're happy."
The entertainment industry is no match for Zhou Hualing: ... ...
The entertainment industry is no match for Zhou Paihuai: Are you really Zhou Paihuai himself?
Sure enough, she began to doubt whether Zhou Huaihuai was telling the truth. She replied: "It's absolutely true, no doubt about it. If you don't believe me, we can talk in person, and then you can see for yourself whether I'm telling the truth or not."
Ji Anxi sneered upon seeing the reply. Previously, she wasn't sure if this person was Zhou Paihuai, but now she was certain it wasn't. Perhaps she was related to Zhou Paihuai and worked for her, but it couldn't possibly be the real Zhou Paihuai. The reason she said this was simply to trick her into meeting him. Ironically, she almost believed it.
If Zhou Paihuai knew what the hater was thinking at this moment, he would definitely cry out that he was wronged. Meeting in person was just something she said casually. The only way to prove the proposition "I am me" is to see for yourself, right?